Out of the Shaker (Matthew 5:13)

On the hillside

The Sermon on the Mount is Jesus' first big message, and early on He tells the crowd, "You are the salt of the earth." Then comes the warning: if salt loses its saltiness, it's good for nothing.

What salt does

DeWayne lists three things. It preserves. In a world without refrigerators, salt kept food from rotting, and our contact with people is meant to do the same. It brings out flavor, making good things better. And it makes you thirsty, in this case for the living water only Jesus gives. None of that happens while it sits on the counter.

How it fades

Pure sodium chloride can't lose its saltiness. The salt from the Dead Sea region was mixed with other minerals, and it could. Christians rarely walk away overnight. It's one missed Sunday, then one missed group, little by little.

A salty family

DeWayne pointed out that his four daughters' initials spell SALT. Add his wife and it's SALTS.

Try this

• Every time you reach for the salt this week, ask who you could "season" today.
• Notice one small habit that's been slipping and restart it.